When I switched over to the iPhone I was shocked to see that I was not able to download some sort of navigation software, coming from the Blackberry world this was very disappointing. Needless to say I was very excited when AT&T/Apple finally started to allow GPS navigation apps for the iPhone. I am not positive about this statement but I believe Navigon was the first big company to release navigation software for the iPhone.
I noticed that Navigon had a lite version in the app store but I was unable to download it. I then contacted them and asked if they would release another lite version or allow me to test out the application. I was contacted a few days later and was given a chance to test out the application. I have to say I am very impressed with this applictiaon.
After a week or so of testing I compiled a list of questions I saw in reviews and added in some of my own to see where this app is going. I have recieved an update to the application. I will install this and update this post if any of these questions have been addresssed.
- Will there be traffic integration? (Would be nice to know about accidents on the roads)
- Yes, we have plans to launch a real-time traffic feature for our iPhone app later this year. However, at this point we don’t have an exact launch date yet.
- GPS doesn’t seem to lock on sometimes is this a known issue?
- Usually, the integrated GPS receiver of the iPhone works well. In isolated cases issues with the GPS positioning and the GPS signal have been reported and this could have different reasons:
- Wrong positioning of the iPhone in the car. Like with every portable navigation device, the iPhone should always have a free view to the sky
- Metalized thermally insulated windshield
- Usage of design or protective covers (while using our NAVIGON Software please avoid using covers since these influence the reception of a GPS signal)
- Should all of this not match your situation, we’ve experienced that a soft-reset of the iPhone is something that helps. Your saved data and information will not be deleted during this procedure. Apple describes the process as follows:
- Hold the standby button (the On/Off Button on the top right side of the iPhone) and at the same time the HOME button for at least 10 seconds until the Apple-Logo appears. After that the iPhone will boot up again.
- In very rare cases where even the soft-reset doesn’t work, it can help to backup and restore the data on the iPhone in order to reorganize the memory of the phone.
- Usually, the integrated GPS receiver of the iPhone works well. In isolated cases issues with the GPS positioning and the GPS signal have been reported and this could have different reasons:
- Can we just search POI without selecting the category?
- Yes, you just have to select “all categories”, then you can search for a POI without selecting a category.
- See a listing of directions? (Route preview?)
- Currently, it is possible to display the entire route graphically (just click on the map and then on the “show route” icon in the lower right corner). However, a textual list of turn-by-turn-directions is not included. NAVIGON has developed a feature called NAVIGON MyRoutes that learns from individual driving habits. Based on that data, it provides three different route choices after entering a destination. These are displayed on a map with distance and EST for each route, so the user can select which one he prefers. The NAVIGON MyRoutes feature might be something that we will make available for the iPhone with an update.
- Can there be an icon that tells if we have GPS lock. I found it cumbersome that I would have to hit start nav then cancel out of the simulation menu, and keep doing that over and over again.
- Our app does show a red bar on top of the screen if there is no GPS reception available. And there is actually a way to avoid having to tap on the screen over and over again. If you have entered an address and there is no GPS reception available, you can just wait until the signal becomes available. It is just important to not press “cancel”. The route is being calculated automatically after GPS reception is sufficient and the “Simulate/Cancel” buttons will disappear.
- Any plans to allow users to upload their own voices?
- That is an interesting idea but as of now there are no concrete plans.
- Dash had a great concept link up the gps units so they could share traffic info.
- NAVIGON will offer real-time traffic updates for the MobileNavigator on the iPhone in the future. At this point, we are unable to disclose any further information about the specific implementation of this feature, but I can tell you that we are considering a wide variety of options.
- Would be nice to be able to use the internet to search for POI, this way it would never be outdated.
- Currently we offer the POIs which are integrated in our NAVTEQ map database. An integration of e.g. Google POIs is definitely in discussion and might be something to come at a later point, but we don’t have any concrete plans to announce right now.
- How often will the app be updated?
- The first version includes the latest maps available. For further updates, users will have access to NAVIGON’s standard map updates at attractive prices. However, at this point, we don’t have specific pricing and timing for the map updates.
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